Track lubricator



April 8, 1941. E. OVERM'IER ETAL.

TRACK LUBRIGATOR Filed 001;. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 19410 E OVERMEER ETAL.

TRACK LUBRICATOR Filed Oct. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ilnvcniow/ a We)",

3 Sheets-Sheet TRACK LUBRICATOR F'iledDct. 23, 1939 E. OVERMIER ETAL.

April 8, 1941.

7 w a 11111 v 0 z Patented Apr. 8, 1941 TRACK LUBRICATOR Emmons Overmier, La Grange, Thomas E. Rodman, Glencoe, and Sidney E. Bates, Chicago, 111., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application October 23, 1939, Serial No. 300,828

13 Claims.

This invention relates to railway track lubricating apparatus, and has particular reference to that type of apparatus which supplies to the inner side of the head of a railway rail, at curves and other necessary locations, a lubricant to be picked up and distributed along the rail by the flanges of the train Wheels to reduce frictional wear, as well as noise due to grinding action of the Wheel flanges against the rail head.

Generally speaking, the present track rail lubricating apparatus is of the known type comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device located adjacent to the rail to be lubricated and connected with said reservoir, 2. pump for supplying lubricant from said reservoir to said distributing device, and means operable by the passing of the locomotive and/or car wheels over a given part of the track to actuate said pump.

One object of the present invention is to provide, in an apparatus of the type mentioned, a pump actuating element which is operable in response to the rail motion incident to travel of a train over the rail, whereby said element is not subjected to harmful pounding and whereby it may be located in a position where it is unlikely to be harmed by derailments or other causes. In this connection said element may be connected either mechanically or hydraulically with the pump, but a hydraulic connection is preferred as such a connection has various important ad vantages over a mechanical connection.

Rail motion occurs to a greater or a lesser amount depending upon the train load and speed to which it is subjected. Regardless, however, of variations in the amount of such movement of the rail it is desirable that the same predetermined amount of lubricant should be supplied to the rail head. Accordingly, another special object of the invention is to provide means whereby this desired result is attained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pump, preferably of the bellows type, embodying various improved features of construction and to provide a novel operable-element means for actuating said pump.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for yieldingly supporting the rail and for supporting the operable actuating element and its associated parts in operative relationship to the rail.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

sameconsists in the novel combination and artrain wheels thereagainst.

rangement of parts and in'the novel features of construction as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a track lubricating apparatus constructed and arranged in acoordance with one practical embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 3 with the rail removed.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 1-.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the bellows pump of the apparatus.

Figure '7 is a section on the line 1'l of Fig. 6.

Figure 8 is a cross section on the line B--8 of Fig. 6; and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Fig, 5 illustrating an alternative form of mounting for the pump actuator operated by movement of the rail. 7

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates a railway rail supported upon cross ties B, C designates a lubricant reservoir, D, D designates lubricant distributing devices mounted at the inner side of the rail A to be supplied with lubricant from the reservoir C and to deliver it to the gauge face of the rail head to reduce friction and noise resulting from wiping of the flanges of The pump, designated generally as E, is in lubricant-receiving relationship to the reservoir C and has piped connections F with the distributing applicators D, D whereby it is effective to supply lubricant from said reservoir to said applicators; and G designates, generally, an actuating means, operable by passage of the car wheels over the rail A, to actuate the pump E.

Different devices for the delivery of a lubricant to the inner side of a rail head are known, and the distributing applicators D, D may be of any known type effective to deliver lubricant supplied to them through the piping to the inner or gauge side of the head of the rail A, whereby the lubricant is placed in a position to be picked up and distributed along the rail by the flanges of the train wheels.

The lubricant reservoir C may be located at any suitable point relative to the rail A and the pump E, which is preferably of the bellows type,

may be either entirely separate from said reservoir or combined therewith. In the present instance the reservoir C is illustrated as being in the form of a cylindrical tank II] unobstructively buried adjacent to the rail A with its top disposed substantially at the level of the roadbed, and the pump E is illustrated as being combined with said tank. In other words, the pump E includes a casing II preferably disposed at the side of the tank I and bolted thereto as indicated at I2.

At its top the tank It is closed by a hinged cover I3 which may also serve to close the top of the pump casing II. Normally this cover is closed, but it may be swung upwardly to afford access to the tank and the pump casing for charging or cleaning the tank and adjustments or repairs of the pump mechanism.

In the side of the tank It) near its bottom is an opening Ill affording communication between said tank and a pump chamber I5 in the pump casing II, while slidable in-said tank II! is a suitable follower III which serves constantly to subject lubricant contained in said tank to sufficient pressure to insure that lubricant from said tank shall constantly fill the pump chamber I5.

In a wall I6 of the casing II defining the bottom of the pump chamber I5 are two relatively small Vertically disposed cylinders II, II which, at their upper ends, open into said pump chamber I5 and which, at their lower ends, normally are closed by suitable downwardly opening valves such as balls I8 urged upwardly by springs I9.

Under the control of the valves Hi the cylinders I7, I! are in communication with passageways 20, 20 respectively, formed in the side walls of the casing I I and which lead preferably to points near the tops of the casing where they are respectively connected by the piping F, or equivalent conduits, with the lubricant applicators D, D.

In a wall 2i of the casing II defining the top of the pump chamber I5 are two piston bores or cylinders 22, 22 which are axially alined with the cylinders II, II, respectively, and which have closely fitted and slidably mounted therein pump pistons 23, 23, respectively, rigidly connected together at their upper ends, above the wall ZI, by a cross-head 24 and formed at their lower ends to enter and to closely and slidably fit the cylinders I'I, I1.

At a point suitably spaced above the wall 2! is a horizontally disposed casing wall 25, and between this wall and the cross-head 24 is interposed an expansible and contractible pump chamber member 26 consisting of a cylindrical metal bellows which preferably is suitably fixed at its upper and lower ends respectively to the wall 25 and the cross head 24, respectively.

Suitable spring means such as a pair of coil springs 21, 2! encircle the pistons 23, 23, respectively, between the fixed wall 2! and the crosshead 24. These springs tend constantly to elevate said cross-head and said pistons and to contract the expansible pump chamber member or bel- Ws 26, and are effective to do so when the chamber member 26 is not subjected to an abnormal pressure. The amount of elevation of the pistons 23, 23 by said springs 21 when the chamber member 26 is not subjected to an abnormal pressure is such that the lower ends of the pistons 23, 23 are withdrawn from and disposed suitably above the tops of the cylinders I I, I! to permit filling of said cylinders by lubricant from the pump chamber I5 due to the pressure exerted on the lubricant in the tank III by the follower III or otherwise. Thus it will be apparent that whenever the chamber member 26 is subjected to an expanding pressure sufficient to overcome the resistance of the springs 21, 21, the pistons 23, 23 will be depressed, causing their lower ends to enter the cylinders II, I! and force the predetermined amount of lubricant to each of the lubricant applicators D. Also, it will be apparent that upon relief of the said expanding volume to which the expansible member or bellows 26 is subjected, the springs 27, 2'! will act .to return the pistons 23, 23 to their normal elevatedv positions in readiness again to be depressed by the bollows, and to effect another pumping operation when the member 26 again is subjected to an expanding 7 pressure.

Any suitable means may be provided to be actuated in response to a train wheel passin over any given section of the track to subject the expansible member or bellows 26 to an expanding pressure. However, in accordance with the present invention the actuating means G for this purpose is constructed and protectively arranged to be advantageously actuated without being subjected to pounding and to operate the pump E without shock, by the motion of the track rail.

The present actuating means G, according to one practical embodiment thereof, comprises a contractible chamber member 28, preferably of the metal bellows type, suitably held at one end and suitably engaged at its other end with a track rail whereby it is contracted in response to depression of the rail caused by passage of a locomotive or car thereover. A pipe or hose 29 connects the interior of the chamber member 28 with the interior of the chamber member 26 and in conjunction with said chamber members provides a closed circuit or system which is completely filled with any suitable fluid. Thus, whenever the track rail, with which the chamber member 28 is associated is depressed by rail wave or other rail motion with consequent contraction of said chamber member, liquid is forced from said chamber member 28 into the chamber member 26 and the latter is thereby expanded or elongated, with the lubricant pumping result heretofore described. On the other hand, when the rail, following its forced depression or motion, rises after passage of a train wheel thereover, contraction of the chamber member 26 by the springs 21, 21 results in the restoration of the fluid balance, thereby causing expansion of the chamber member 28 to its normal condition in readiness to repeat the pumping operation when the rail again is depressed. In this connection it is obvious, of course, that the pump actuating means G and the lubricant applicators D, D may be associated with the same track rail, or that the applicators D, D may be associated with one of the track rails, and the means G may be associated with the other of said rails. It also is apparent that, instead of there being two of the applicators D, there may be only-one, or three or more thereof to which lubricant may be supplied by only one pump cylinder and piston, or by any desired plurality of pump cylinders and pistons operated by one or more expansible chambers 26.

According to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to'5 of the drawings, the contractible chamber member 28 is enclosed in a shield-casing 3i! protectively mounted beneath the rail A on a U-shaped support 3|, and includes a contact button 32 extending slidably through an opening in the upper end of the casing 30 and engaged with the under face of the rail. The support 3|, as shown, includes end portions 33 which rest upon the tops of an adjacent pair of the ties B beneath the rail, and which therefore serve the same purpose as ordinary tie or abrasion plates. In addition, the said end portions 33 of said support have struck upwardly therefrom resilient tongues 34 on which the rail A rests and which serve normally to support the rail in slightly but predetermined elevated relationship to said portions 33, for depression into engagement with said end portions by the weight of a car passing over the rail. Thus, whenever the rail is depressed the chamber member 28 is contracted and the lubricant pump is operated.

While the tongues 34 are effective to elevate the rail A and to maintain it elevated whenever it is not subjected to load, they are sufiiciently weak to permit depression of the rail even under the lightest car load, Accordingly, the rail is depressed the same amount each time a car or locomotive passes over the same regardless of the weight of the car or locomotive. This means, of course, that the chamber member 28 always is contracted the same extent, and that if the chamber member 26 always were permitted to expand a corresponding amount the supply of lubricant to the devices D, D always would be in equal maximum amounts. However, it may be desirable in many instances to have the lubricant supplied to the applicators D, D in lesser than maximum amounts. In other words, it is desirable to have the apparatus readily adjustable so that, despite the same amount of depression or motion of the rail A, and despite the same amount of contraction of the actuating chamber member 23 each time a locomotive or car passes over the rail, the amount of lubricant delivered by the devices D, D,

' may be regulated as desired. Accordingly, there may be provided an adjustable stop means 35 to regulate the permissible amount of expansion of the chamber member 26, thereby to regulate the stroke of the pistons 23, 23 and a cooperating expansible liquid relief chamber 36 in closed circuit relationship to the chambers 26 and 28 to receive the liquid in said closed circuit which cannot enter the chamber 26 due to the stop means 35 limiting expansion of said chamber.

The stop means 35 may have any appropriate form. As illustrated in the present instance said stop means comprises an elongated bar disposed vertically in the casing ll against'or adjacent to the side of the tank l0, and slidably mounted at its lower and its upper ends in openings in the casing walls 2i and 25 for vertical adjustments. On the lower portion of said baris a projection 31 which underlies the cross-head 24 and which constitutes a stop engageable by said cross-head to predetermine its limit of downward movement, while on a threaded stem 38 at the top of said bar is threaded a nut 39 which, by engagement with an upward extension 40 of the casing wall 25, holds said bar against downward movement. By turning the nut 39 in one direction the bar and its projection 31 are lifted and the permissible amount of expansion of the chamber member 23 thereby is lessened, while by turning said nut in the otherdirection the bar and its projection are permitted to move downwardly and the permissible amount of expansion of the chamber member all thereby is increased.

While the expansible liquid relief chamber 33 mayhave any suitable form, it is illustrated in the present instance as being a duplicate in form of the chamber member 26, that is, of the metal bellows type. This relief chamber is disposed in thecasing l l preferably at the side of the chamber member 26, and at its upper end is held against upward-movement by the casing wall 25 and at its lower end is yieldably supported against expansion by a coil spring 4| interposed between its said lower end and the casing wall 2!. At its upper end the chamber 36 is in closed circuit communication with the chambers 26 and 28 through a branch 42 of the connection 29 between said chambers 26 and 28.

The spring 4| is stronger than the combined springs 21, 21. Accordingly, as long as the chamber 26 is free to expand, the chamber 36 will not expand When, however, further expansion of the chamber 26 is limited by the positive stop 31, the liquid pressure produced in the closed system by full contraction of the chamber member 28 results in the liquid which cannot enter the chamber 26, being by-passed into the chamber 36 with consequent expansion of said chamber 36 against the resistance of the spring 4|. When, subsequently, the chamber 28 is permitted to expand following passing of a locomotive or car over the portion of the rail with which the chamber member 23 is associated, the spring 4! expands, contracts the chamber member 36 and restores the system to its original condition in readiness for the next operation thereof. It is apparent, therefore, that despite equal amounts of contraction of the chamber member 28, the apparatus is adjustable to vary the amount of lubricant that is supplied to the lubricant delivery devices D, D for each motion of the rail with which the means G is associated.

The invention is susceptible of any modification that will utilize the rail motion, that is, not only the usual rail wave motion but also any motion between the rail and its tie plate regardless of the amount of such motion, because of the provision made for adjusting and regulating the apparatus to any desired stroke of the lubricantsupplying bellows pump according to the amount of lubricant to be delivered to the distributing applicator. Accordingly, to illustrate the range of the invention there is shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings a modification wherein the actuating device is reversed vertically, and is not only arranged at one side of the rail but directly and rigidly secured thereto. That is to say, in this modification the casing 33 for the contractible actuator chamber or bellows member 28 is shown mounted upon a bracket 43 carried by a clamp 44 secured directly to the rail and the plunger con-tact button 32 of the said member 28' is arranged at the bottom of the device.

We claim:

1. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a rail, a pump for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to said device, said pump including an expansible chamber member, an actuating device including a contractible chamber member, means providing between said chamber members a closed fluid-circuit of constant volume in which the fluid is free to flow back and forth between said chamber members, means operable in response to rolling stock passing over a portion of a rail to successively contract said contraotible chamber member and to release same for expansion, and yieldable means tending constantly to expand said contrac-tible chamber member and to contract said expansible chamber member.

2. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device for the track rail, an expansible bellows type pump having means for delivering predetermined amounts of lubricant from the reservoir to said device and a bellows type actuator in closed fluidcircuit communication with the bellows type pump for operating the latter, said bellows type actuator being arranged in operative relation to a rail whereby the rail motion will contract the same to cause expansion of the bellows type pump.

3. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a track rail, a pump for supplying lubricant from the reservoir to said device, means operable by movement of a rail to actuate said pump and means for causing the same predetermined amount of lubricant to be delivered to said device by a given amount of movement of the rail and also by movement of the rail in excess of given amount.

4. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a track rail, a bellows type pump for supplying lubricant from the reservoir to said device, bellows means operable by movement of a rail to actuate said pump and means for causing the same predetermined amount of lubricant to be delivered to said device by movement of the ll rail regardless of the extent of such movement.

5. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a rail, a bellows type of pump for forcing lubricant from the reservoir to said de- A vice, and bellows means in closed fluid-circuit communication with the bellows type pump and arranged in operative relation to a rail to be operable by movement of the rail.

6. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a rail, a bellows type of pump for forcing lubricant from the reservoir to said device,.bellows means in closed fluid-circuit communication with the bellows type pump and arranged in operative relation to a rail to be operable by movement of the rail, and regulating means causing a predetermined amount of lubricant to be forced by the pump to said distributing device regardless of the extent of the rail motion.

7. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device for the track rail, an expansible bellows type pump having means for delivering predetermined amounts of lubricant from the reservoir to said device, a bellows type actuator contracti'ble by rail movement and in closed fluid-circuit communication with the bellows type pump, and adjustable stop means to control and limitexpansion of the bellows type pump.

8. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device for the track rail, an expansible bellows type pump having means for delivering predetermined amounts of lubricant from the reservoir to said device, a bellows type actuator contractible by rail movement and in closed fluid-circuit communication with the bellows type pump, adjustable stop means to control and limit expansion of the bellows type pump, and an expansible and contractible pressure relief chamber in closed fluidcircuit communication with the bellows type pump 9. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing de- .trol the extent of stroke of the said pump, spring means to cause contraction of the pump bellows, an expansible and contractible pressure relief chamber in closed fluid-circuit communication with the pump bellows, and spring means for causing contraction of said relief chamber.

10. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device for the track rail, an expansible bellows type pump having means for delivering predetermined amounts of lubricant from the reservoir to said device, adjustable stop means to limit and control the extent of stroke of the said pump, spring means to cause contraction of the pump bellows, an expansible and contractible pressure relief chamber in closed fluid-circuit communication with the pump bellows, and spring means for causing contraction of said relief chamber, said latter spring means being of superior strength to the spring means for the pump bellows.

11. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a track rail, a pump including an expansible chamber member and means oper able by expansion of said memberto effect delivery of lubricant to said device, means operable in response to rail motion to subject said chamber to an internally applied fluid pressure to expand said member, stop means to limit expansion of said chamber member, yieldable means to contract said member when the fluid pressure expanding the same is reduced to a predetermined value, a second expansible chamber member in internal closed fluid-circuit communication with the interior of said first mentioned chamber member, and yieldable means of greater strength than said first mentioned yieldable means tending constantly to hold said second mentioned chamber member against expansion whereby an equal amount of lubricant is supplied to said lubricant distributing device each time the first mentioned expansible chamber element is expanded regardless of the pressure to which said first mentioned chamber is subjected.

12. Track lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device associated with a track rail, a pump including an expansible chamber member and means operable by expansion of said member to effect delivery of lubricant to said device, actuating means for said pump comprising a contractible chamber member, a conduit connecting said chamber members in closed fluid-circuit relationship, whereby contraction of the second mentioned member expands the first mentioned member and vice-versa, means mounting said second mentioned chamber member for contraction in response to rail movement, adjustable stop means to limit expansion of said expansible chamber member, spring means to contract said expansible chamber member when the pressure of the liquid expanding the same is reduced to a predetermined value, a second expansible chamber member in closed fluid-circuit communication with said first mentioned chamber members, and spring means of greater strength than said first mentioned spring means tending constantly to hold said second mentioned expansible chamber member against expansion, whereby an equal amount of lubricant is supplied to said lubricant distributing device each time the contractible chamber member is contracted regardless of the amount of the contraction thereof.

13. Track lubricating apparatus including a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant distributing device for the track rail, an expansible bellows type pump having means for delivering predetermined amounts of lubricant from the reservoir to the device, and a bellows type actuator mounted adjacent the rail and operable by the rail motion, said actuator being in closed fluid-circuit communication with the bellows type pump.

EMMONS OVERMIER. THOMAS E. RODMAN. SIDNEY E. BATES. 

